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Posts: 244
Location: Madison | I am looking at upgrading the electronics in my boat. My budget is between 1000 - 1500. Looking to get two units both with gps one for the bow and one for the console, or get one bigger unit and put on a ram mount at the console so I can swivel it when fishing.
Looking for for ideas and suggestions. It doesn't matter if it is H-Bird or Lowrance just looking for the easiest to use. Also any recommendations for rigging in the Madison area?
Thanks,
Kirk |
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Posts: 58
| I would say get one really nice unit as opposed to two smaller units. i'm not sure about lowrances but for your price range you can easily get into a hummingbird 1158 or 1157 no prob. if you do some searching and keep an eye on ebay you may be able to score a 998 if your interested in side imaging. |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | I fish with friends on the Larry who use 2 smaller units for trolling running 1 full screen map and 1 full screen sounder which gives a saftey factor if one fails.I have a 17.5 foot boat I cast out of and am currently looking for a larger deep boat for late season big water trolling. My plan would be 2, 7 or 8 inch units on ram mounts run side by side when trolling and front and consol when in the casting boat this would require 1 additional transducer and power cord and 2 additional Ram bases but is cheaper than a 10 inch unit and a 5 inch unit. |
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Posts: 109
Location: Wisconsin River | Madison Gander has humminbird 898ci si on sale $1299
I use this unit and would definetly recomend it. For $400 more you could get another 1" of screen. |
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Posts: 1060
Location: Palm Coast, FL | Universal Mania has the 998CI SI (the non HD model) for $1315:
http://www.universalmania.com/_e/Marine/product/407760-1/Humminbird... |
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Posts: 114
| ^^^^ have you ordered one from there or called humminbird to see if they honnor the warranty of the unit if purchased from the site?
Edited by mahnkal 2/3/2013 9:42 PM
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Posts: 1060
Location: Palm Coast, FL | No I have not, but from the reviews I see on Bass Boat Central, I would imagine they would. They are a sponsor on that site and have heard nothing but good things about them. |
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Posts: 279
| He is one of the best and yes they honor the warranty. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | As I always suggest when the electronics question is asked...I'd try to ride in buddies boats that have each. Both 'Bird and Lowrance are great units and it'll come down to how well you like each one.
Me, I run HDS bow and console with an 8 on the bow uses solely for charts and an 8 on the console on a RAM mount I use for sonar while fishing and for chart/sonar while driving. Works great for me, but I'm a Lowrance guy. |
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Posts: 70
| I bought the 998 si combo last year. This technology is the best I seem since we went from paper to liquid crystal! (not to age myself) but the cribs in wisconsin, you can count the logs see the bark rocks ect. a SWAMP LOGGERS WET DREAM!
I don't impress easy and I am! |
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Posts: 265
Location: Hudson,WI | I love my birds but for your price range you might think of just getting one really nice unit this year, and then add the other one of the same or greater value next season. |
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Posts: 512
Location: Appleton | Does anyone have any experience with universalmainia.com? Prices on there are about the best around. Sorry to hijack your thread. |
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Posts: 667
Location: Wisconsin | Team Rhino - 3/17/2013 7:51 AM
Does anyone have any experience with universalmainia.com? Prices on there are about the best around. Sorry to hijack your thread.
YES!!! after Vince shared the site(thanks again, Vince!!!) I bought one. It came very quickly and I you can't beat the price. |
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Posts: 267
| I am considering getting a Lowrance Elite-7 HDI combo for helm and Elite 7 broadband sonar and chart plotter only for the bow. For both units will be about $1250 total. Anyone else try the new HDI 7 units yet? |
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Posts: 97
Location: Milwaukee, WI | I think if you don't have GPS units linked between the bow and console, you are going to end up regretting that decision.
Not sure how well this fits in with your budget, but I would suggest that you buy as big a unit as you can afford for the bow, and go smaller at the console. I have a network of 2 HDS-7's (one at the bow, one at the console). I realize now that I could easily have gotten by with an HDS-5 at the console and would have preferred an 8 or 10 at the bow. Maybe in your case, a 5" at the console and a 7" at the bow?
But, that's just my 2 cents...
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